- Richard Peaslee
Catalonia (2003)
- Associated Music Publishers Inc (World)
Programme Note
Composer note:
In thinking about Spain, its people, and its turbulent history, certain characteristics inevitably come to mind: passion, fire, tragedy, pride, and a certain amount of pure madness. Certainly these elements came to the fore in the tragic civil war of the 1930s. George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia, describing the war and his role in it, has been a favorite book of mine, and this piece is in effect a musical homage to his "homage."
The trumpet, like the guitar, is an instrument often associated with Spanish music. When the opportunity arose to write a piece for the legendary trumpet player Philip Smith, I therefore thought of putting it into a Spanish context. Catalonia was commissioned by Phil and has been given its first performances by him. It is in three movements which are basically fast, slow, and fast in tempo. The expressive qualities of the flugelhorn are called for in the slow movement.
Richard Peaslee
In thinking about Spain, its people, and its turbulent history, certain characteristics inevitably come to mind: passion, fire, tragedy, pride, and a certain amount of pure madness. Certainly these elements came to the fore in the tragic civil war of the 1930s. George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia, describing the war and his role in it, has been a favorite book of mine, and this piece is in effect a musical homage to his "homage."
The trumpet, like the guitar, is an instrument often associated with Spanish music. When the opportunity arose to write a piece for the legendary trumpet player Philip Smith, I therefore thought of putting it into a Spanish context. Catalonia was commissioned by Phil and has been given its first performances by him. It is in three movements which are basically fast, slow, and fast in tempo. The expressive qualities of the flugelhorn are called for in the slow movement.
Richard Peaslee